Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Kitten Season

Have you heard of “Kitten Season”?

The feline reproductive season runs from (roughly) Dec. 21 (winter solstice) to Sept. 21 (vernal equinox). The amount of daylight turns the cycles off and on.

That means in December, intact females are stimulated to come into heat and usually they will come in heat by Jan. 15 or so. A 60-day pregnancy means that the queens (an unsprayed female cat) will give birth around March 15 or so. Hence the first litters of kittens will come into the shelters shortly thereafter. Because all of the intact females have had some time off over the winter, they will all begin to cycle and give birth around the same time. Hence the term "kitten season."

An unspayed female cat will go into heat every 3 weeks;

The average size of a litter is 4-6 kittens;

One mother cat can produce 18 kittens in one season;

A female cat can begin having kittens at 6 months old;

In 7 years 1 female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats!!!!!

During “Kitten Season” the number of kittens far exceeds the number of homes available; during “Kitten Season” you will see signs everywhere for Kittens for Sale, they are sold by the wayside, they are dropped off in boxes at the grocery stores and they end up in animal welfare organizations;

There are more kittens available than there are families to take them;

During “Kitten Season” it is difficult to find loving homes for adult cats.

There is only one solution: Spay or neuter your pets -- and practice TNR (trap neuter return) on ferals!